Friday, September 27, 2019

Friday, September 27, 2019

Dear parents,

Happy October break! We have finished our first quarter at AISC and what an inspiring, fulfilling and learning enriched quarter it has been. Last week, Mr Dave and Ms Keryn joined the 5th Grade team on their annual classroom without walls trip. This year, the grade went to the hill station of Yelagiri and it was wonderful to see our oldest Elementary students exploring their personal and physical boundaries that come through all the challenges of being away from home and participating in adventure activities. All our students demonstrated courage, compassion, confidence and creativity during our four days away together.

This week we also hosted almost 80 visitors from the US consulate to learn about our LEED status and hear about the great work we are doing with environmental responsibility. 12 of our 4th grade students who had learned about our catchment area spoke knowledgeably with confidence and poise to our visitors. Congratulations to Sihwan Kim, Hyerin Cha, Yulong Ni, Junu Baek, Yeonu Seok, Ashwath Prabhu, Johana Jung, Bianca Peyron, Jihoo Kim, JeongIn Choi, Jieun Kim and Johannes Clausen - you represented the Elementary school well!

Yesterday, we distributed the Community Directory to classrooms and it should have been brought home by your youngest child.  Please check your child’s bag if they are the youngest sibling in your family.

We resume on Tuesday, October 8th after the Fall Break. Monday 7th October is a holiday for the Puja Festival.

Math Mornings 
This week and last, teachers and students hosted our Family Math Mornings and welcomed many parents to campus! Your children loved the opportunity to share their math learning with you, and Ms Calley, our math coach, appreciated the time you took in learning more about math and giving good feedback.  

Would you like to share any feedback on Family Math Morning?  Please complete this short survey, if so.  

In case you missed it, here are links to our presentations.
Please also note that Math Morning pics will be up in our galleries soon!

Congratulations to Students in 5 EF!
Three students Sejin Kim, Yeona Kang and Takumi Sato, chose to give up their recess a few weeks ago to design the tickets for Diwali Mela! You will see their artwork adorning the front of all Diwali Mela tickets and perhaps on posters! Congratulations, Students of 5EF!

PCA Diwali Mela, Saturday, October 12, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
This year's PCA Diwali Mela will be a fun family event, which will include guest performers, community performers, traditional Indian cuisine, and activities for all. Come join us for an exciting night! Performances in the FAC theater start promptly at 6:15 p.m. No tickets required. Confirm your attendance using this code in the banner below. If you have any questions, please email pca@aischennai.org.

Reminder: All School Schedule Change
Please remember that school is closed on Monday, October 7 to observe Ayudha Puja. This is a change from the published Community Calendar. Classes resume on Tuesday, October 8.

Vision and Hearing Screening
Vision and Hearing screenings will take place the week of October 8.

Early Release Wednesday
Wednesday, October 9th is the next Early Release Wednesday. Students are expected to depart campus in a timely and organized fashion upon dismissal at 2:00 pm. We appreciate your patience with traffic on these days as all three sections are picking up students at the same time. In preparation, please plan on allowing longer time for entry and exit to the school at release time.

Elementary Growth Story  Conferences - Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 October
After the October break, we have our first formal Growth Story Conferences. These are a valuable opportunity for you to learn more about the growth your child has made in their learning this academic year, as well as hear about learning goals they and their teacher are aiming towards. The main focus will be on sharing assessment and learning data to show progress your child is making in the four core academic areas taught in the homeroom - math, reading, writing and either social studies or science, depending on unit currently being taught.

Growth Story Conference Dates:
Monday, October 14th from 3:45 pm - 5:00 pm (after a school day)
Tuesday, October 15th from 8:30 am - 4:00 p.m (no school/classes on this day for students)
These will be 20 minutes in length, with one family in the room at a time.  Sign ups will begin via Seesaw once we return from the break. All families need to make an appointment for these conferences.

Yearbook photos - Digital and Printed Packages (repeat announcement)
Please find the photos taken by the yearbook photographers here (password raptors2019). Please feel free to download the photo of your child for your personal use or to arrange your own printing. If you would still like to order prints (portraits or group photos) from Konica, please contact Raji Srinivasan at +91 98414 16519 or raji@konicadigital.com. Printed packages from orders placed during the photoshoot were sent through students last week.
Please note that if your child did not have their photo taken yet, retakes are available in January.
If you have further questions, please contact Sherene Williams, at the Head of School Office.

Fall Break Postcard Challenge (repeat announcement)
Building on the success of last year’s postcard challenges, we would like to encourage students to send a postcard (or two or more) from your Fall Break travels. To encourage writing over the Spring Break, all Grade K - 5 children are encouraged to send a postcard from their spring break destination. Postcards should include a written message of where you are and what fun you have been having! This can be from Chennai, from other parts of India or from wherever you are travelling to!
  
Because we are emphasizing a literacy and real-life connection, postcards must include 3 sentences and be posted in the mail. Students can send UP TO 3 postcards - and the class who sends the most postcards wins a special reward. The challenge starts next Friday, 27 September, and we will do the final count on Monday, 21 October.
 

October  Lunch Menu & Order Links  (repeat announcement)
To order a school lunch for your child, please use this PayOnline link.  
Elementary Lunch Menu Links: (Early Years- Grade 3 Pre-order) and (Grades 4 & 5 - No Preorder)


Keryn Dowling, Dave Allen, and Calley Connelly
Elementary School Leadership Team

Friday, September 20, 2019

Friday, September 20, 2019

Dear Parents,

It was a rainy but busy week at AISC with our Grade 5 students participating in Classroom Without Walls, Math Mornings starting with Grades 3 and 4, and our first learning celebration this year with lower elementary involving Grades 1 and 2. Thank you to many of you who came to share your time and your feedback on Elementary Principal Candidates. Our community really shined during their visit - we appreciate you!

Fall Break Postcard Challenge
Building on the success of last year’s postcard challenges, we would like to encourage students to send a postcard (or two or more) from your Fall Break travels. To encourage writing over the Spring Break, all Grade K - 5 children are encouraged to send a postcard from their spring break destination. Postcards should include a written message of where you are and what fun you have been having! This can be from Chennai, from other parts of India or from wherever you are travelling to!
  
Because we are emphasizing a literacy and real-life connection, postcards must include 3 sentences and be posted in the mail. Students can send UP TO 3 postcards - and the class who sends the most postcards wins a special reward. The challenge starts next Friday, 27 September, and we will do the final count on Monday, 21 October.

 

October  Lunch Menu & Order Links  
To order a school lunch for your child, please use this PayOnline link.  
Elementary Lunch Menu Links: (Early Years- Grade 3 Pre-order) and (Grades 4 & 5 - No Preorder)

Math Mornings (repeat announcement)
Join us, and your children, as we continue our Math Mornings starting next week for grades 1, 2, and 5. Your children look forward to a visit from parents, and teachers, and our math coach Calley Connelly look forward to learning more together, about our math curriculum and instruction. This year, we will also talk about giving constructive feedback on Seesaw using our math practices as a framework. The meetings will begin at 8:45 am in the Madras Hall, and we will transition later to the classrooms.   

Change of Math Morning Dates
Please note the following changes made to Math Mornings to accommodate for specialist classes. All Math Mornings are in the Madras Hall before going to the classrooms.

Sept 23, 8:45 - 10:15:  Grade 2 (same date)
Sept 24, 8:45 - 10:15:  Grade 5
Sept 25, 8:45 - 10:15:  Grade 1
Dec 10, 8:45 - 10:15:  Kindergarten

India Month Opening Assemblies (repeat announcement)
You are welcome to attend the India Month Opening Assemblies on:
  • September 26th, Thursday for Early Years - Grade 2 at 2:30 p.m.
  • September 27th, Friday for Grades 3 - 5 at 2:30 p.m.
Both Assemblies will be at the FAC theatre. Our students will perform different traditional and contemporary styles of Indian dancing and singing. We look forward to seeing you all there.

Students are encouraged to wear Indian clothes on the day of their performance. If you wish to purchase Indian traditional clothes, here is a list of shops:
  1. Nalli (T.Nagar or other branches)
  2. Chennai Silks (T.Nagar or other branches)
  3. RMKV (In Phoenix Mall)
  4. Pothys (T.Nagar)
  5. BIBA (In Express Avenue Mall or Phoenix Mall)
India Month Activities
October is our “Celebrate India” month. We have many exciting experiences planned for our students that will help them explore the different facets of India and its incredibility!
During this time, our students will have an opportunity to explore a variety of activities related to Indian culture through experiential learning. We will have experts leading sessions in Pottery, Tie and Dye, Indian Design Challenges, Yoga, Jewellery making and more.

Indian Snack and Lunch (provided by the school) Thursday, October 24th
All students will be provided a complimentary Indian Snack and Lunch, catered by our Taj Madras Flight Kitchen on Thursday, October 24th. Spices in the food will be minimal. 
Snack menu: Carrot sticks and cucumber sticks with ranch.
(Indian Flag- Tricolor Themed Healthy Snack)
Lunch menu: Jeera rice (rice cooked with cumin seeds and garnished with coriander leaves), poori (wheat bread), raitha (yoghurt with chopped vegetables), paneer masala (for vegetarians) or chicken tikka (for non-vegetarians), soan papdi (dessert), vadaam (rice crisps) and fresh juice (lime/sweet lime).

Parents who do not want their children to have this, may kindly send a packed snack and lunch from home.

Yearbook photos- Digital and Printed Packages
Please find the photos taken by the yearbook photographers here (password raptors2019). Please feel free to download the photo of your child for your personal use or to arrange your own printing. If you would still like to order prints (portraits or group photos) from Konica, please contact Raji Srinivasan at +91 98414 16519 or raji@konicadigital.com. Printed packages from orders placed during the photoshoot were sent through students last week.

Please note that if your child did not have their photo taken yet, retakes are available in January.
If you have further questions, please contact Sherene Williams, at the Head of School Office.

Fall Break- Jump-Off Camp and Activities (repeat announcement)
Will you and your family be in Chennai for Fall Break? If so, check out the Jump Off program! Within this program, there are on-campus activities for all family members. For elementary students, you may register for Jump Off Camp on this Registration Form. Activities and the camp will be available on Monday Sept 30th - Saturday October 5th, excluding Wednesday, October 2nd, for observation of Gandhi Jayanthi.


Have a wonderful weekend!

Keryn Dowling, Dave Allen, and Calley Connelly
Elementary School Leadership Team

Friday, September 13, 2019

Friday, September 13, 2019

Dear Parents,

What a wonderful week of spirit at AISC. Thank you to all of you who helped your child think of creative costume ideas for each of our spirit days. We ended spirit week with our annual UN Peace Day Parade today, and children had so much pride walking across the stage in their national dress. 

A reminder that photos can be found on our website, under quick links.  Password is raptors2019

​Reminder - Elementary Principal Candidates Visiting AISC on Monday/Tuesday, September 16-17
As shared by direct email to elementary parents this week, since May, we have been engaged in the complex process of recruiting Keryn Dowling’s successor for 2020-2021 and beyond.

On September 15th-17th, four finalist candidates from across the globe will visit Chennai and AISC.

A group of PCA parents has been helping us organize a Meet-and-Greet and Forum for parents to meet and listen to the candidates to discuss their experiences and perspectives on AISC.

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, September 17th for an informal Meet-and-Greet in the ES Plaza (8:00-8:30 a.m.) and Parent Forum in the BBT (8:45-9:45 a.m.).

Parents make great recruiters of candidates when they introduce themselves, listen attentively, and reflect positively about our school, please join us!

We shared a brief bio of each candidate in the email on Monday, if you want to read more about the candidates, their applications are on reserve in the ES library. Ask a librarian, and you can review the applications in the library.

Any questions about their schedules? Email Angeline Mohan (mangeline@aischennai.org).


Grade 5 Classroom Without Walls
Next Tuesday 17th, at 6:00am our Grade 5 students will depart for their annual classroom without walls trip. This year, the G5 students are travelling to the hill station destination of Yelagiri. Whilst there, the students will engage in a lot of team building activities as well as other outdoor challenges and learning experiences.  

Math Mornings
Join us, and your children, for Math Mornings starting next Thursday and Friday with grades 3 and 4 respectively, and continuing the following week for grades 1, 2, and 5. Your children look forward to a visit from parents, and teachers and our math coach Calley Connelly look forward to learning more together about our math curriculum and instruction.This year, we will also talk about giving constructive feedback on Seesaw using our math practices as a framework.The meetings will begin at 8:45 am in the Madras Hall, and we will transition later to the classrooms.

Change of Math Morning Dates
Please note the following changes made to Math Mornings to accommodate for specialist classes.

Sept 19, 8:45 - 10:15:  Grade 3
Sept 20, 8:45 - 10:15:  Grade 4
Sept 23, 8:45 - 10:15:  Grade 2 (same date)
Sept 24, 8:45 - 10:15:  Grade 5
Sept 25, 8:45 - 10:15:  Grade 1
Dec 10, 8:45 - 10:15:  Kindergarten

India Month Opening Assemblies
You are welcome to attend the India Month Opening Assemblies on:
  • September 26th, Thursday for Early Years - Grade 2 at 2:30 p.m
  • September 27th, Friday for Grades 3 - 5 at 2:30 p.m.
Both Assemblies will be at the FAC theatre. Our students will perform different traditional and contemporary styles of Indian dancing and singing. We look forward to seeing you all there.

Students are encouraged to wear Indian clothes on the day of their performance. If you wish to purchase Indian traditional clothes, here is a list of shops:
  1. Nalli (T.Nagar or other branches)
  2. Chennai Silks (T.Nagar or other branches)
  3. RMKV (In Phoenix Mall)
  4. Pothys (T.Nagar)
  5. BIBA (In Express Avenue Mall or Phoenix Mall)
India Month Activities
October is our “Celebrate India” month. We have many exciting experiences planned for our students that will help them explore the different facets of India and its incredibility!
During this time, our students will have an opportunity to explore a variety of activities related to Indian culture through experiential learning. We will have experts leading sessions in Pottery, Tie and Dye, Indian Design Challenges, Yoga, Jewellery making and more.

Indian Snack and Lunch (provided by the school) Thursday, October 24th
All students will be provided a complimentary Indian Snack and Lunch, catered by our Taj Madras Flight Kitchen on Friday, October 26th. Spices in the food will be minimal. 

Snack menu: Carrot sticks and cucumber sticks with ranch.
(Indian Flag- Tricolor Themed Healthy Snack)
Lunch menu: Jeera rice (rice cooked with cumin seeds and garnished with coriander leaves), poori (wheat bread), raitha (yoghurt with chopped vegetables), paneer masala (for vegetarians) or chicken tikka (for non-vegetarians), soan papdi (dessert), vadaam (rice crisps) and fresh juice (lime/sweet lime).

Parents who do not want their children to have this, may kindly send a packed snack and lunch from home.

Supervision Reminders - please read carefully!
All children from 3:30 p.m must be directly supervised by parents. If you wish your child to play on the playground or soccer field, parents must be also in these areas. It is unsafe for parents to sit in the cafeteria and send children outside. If your child is alone in one of these areas, they will be sent back to be with you again. For safety reasons, we need your support with this.

From the Library
Parents and children are welcome in the ES/MS library after school from 3:30-5:00 on Monday,Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Please remember that this should be a quiet time together and that parents are required to stay with their children for the duration of the visit. If children would prefer to run, play, or shout, parents are invited to take them outside. Parents are also welcome to use the Madras Cafe for socializing purposes. 

Fall Break- Jump-Off Camp and Activities
Will you and your family be in Chennai for Fall Break? If so, check out the Jump Off program! Within this program, there are on-campus activities for all family members. For elementary students, you may register for Jump Off Camp on this Registration Form. Activities and the camp will be available on Monday Sept 30th - Saturday October 5th, excluding Wednesday, October 2nd, for observation of Gandhi Jayanthi.

Open Facility Use

Keryn Dowling, Dave Allen, and Calley Connelly
Elementary School Leadership Team



Friday, September 06, 2019

Friday, September 6, 2019

Dear Parents,

Today we had our first learning celebration in the Elementary School, with wonderful performances by 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students. Thank you to all the parents who came along to support this.

Our next Early Release is on Wednesday, 11th September. School finishes at 2 pm. This means we will close the playgrounds and football fields at this time too. We ask all students and parents to leave campus promptly so that faculty can begin their professional learning. 

Big Bad Blue - Tomorrow (Saturday 7th)
Tomorrow will be our first swim event for the school year. Come support our Raptor swimmers on Saturday 7th from 9 a.m. in our AISC pool. Teams from Mumbai, New Delhi, and Chennai will be competing against each other to try to improve their personal best. 


Spirit Week - September 9th - 13th (repeat announcement)
Please help your children to dress to enhance school spirit! 

ES Principal Finalist Visit Mark your calendars for two opportunities to interact with the finalists for the ES Principal position during their visit in September. First, there will be a Meet and Greet in the Elementary Courtyard on the morning of Tuesday, September 17 for parents and students. Second, Tuesday after the Meet and Greet, you are invited to please come to a panel in the BBT. You will have the opportunity to meet the candidates, listen to their responses to questions and provide feedback at the end digitally. We look forward to welcoming the candidates to our school and learning more about them during their visit.

Supervision Reminders - please read carefully!
All children from 3:30 p.m must be directly supervised by parents. If you wish your child to play on the playground or soccer field, parents must be also in these areas. It is unsafe for parents to sit in the cafeteria and send children outside. If your child is alone in one of these areas, they will be sent back to be with you again. For safety reasons, we need your support with this.

From the Library
Parents and children are welcome in the ES/MS library after school from 3:30-5:00 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Please remember that this should be a quiet time together and that parents are required to stay with their children for the duration of the visit. If children would prefer to run, play, or shout, parents are invited to take them outside. Parents are also welcome to use the Madras Cafe for socializing purposes. 

AISC UN International Peace Day, Parade of Nations - September 13, 2019 (repeat announcement)
This year's UN International Peace Day celebration will be held on Friday, September 13! The Parade of Nations will be held in the FAC Theater and students are encouraged to dress in their national attire.
Upon arrival, class teachers will bring Grade 1 through Grade 12 students to gather in the gymnasium. Once assembled by their respective national flag, students will proceed to the FAC Theater stage for the beginning of the parade. 

Teachers will gather Early Years and Kindergarten in the FAC Theater lobby. Upon arrival of Grade 1 to Grade 12 students, Early Years and Kindergarten students will lead the school into the parade. Early Years and Kindergarten students will exit the auditorium upon parading across the FAC Theater stage.

Once they finish the parade, Grade 1 to Grade 5 students will be seated in the FAC Theater for a short program. Grade 6 to Grade 12 students will proceed to the cafeteria for live streaming of the program.

The Parade of Nations will be followed by a regular school day.

India Month Opening Assemblies
You are welcome to attend the India Month Opening Assemblies on:
  • September 26th, Thursday for Early Years - Grade 2 at 2:30 p.m.
  • September 27th, Friday for Grades 3 - 5 at 2:30 p.m.
Both Assemblies will be at the FAC theatre. Our students will perform different traditional and contemporary styles of Indian dancing and singing. We look forward to seeing you all there.

Students are encouraged to wear Indian clothes on the day of their performance. If you wish to purchase Indian traditional clothes, here is a list of shops:
  1. Nalli (T.Nagar or other branches)
  2. Chennai Silks (T.Nagar or other branches)
  3. RMKV (In Phoenix Mall)
  4. Pothys (T.Nagar)
  5. BIBA (In Express Avenue Mall or Phoenix Mall)
Fall Break- Jump-Off Camp and Activities
Will you and your family be in Chennai for Fall Break? If so, check out the Jump Off program! Within this program, there are on-campus activities for all family members. For elementary students, you may register for Jump Off Camp on this Registration Form. Activities and the camp will be available on Monday Sept 30th - Saturday October 5th, excluding Wednesday, October 2nd, for observation of Gandhi Jayanthi.


Change of Math Morning Dates
Please note the following changes made to Math Mornings to accommodate for specialist classes.

Sept 19, 8:45 - 10:15:  Grade 3
Sept 20, 8:45 - 10:15:  Grade 4
Sept 23, 8:45 - 10:15:  Grade 2 (same date)
Sept 24, 8:45 - 10:15:  Grade 5
Sept 25, 8:45 - 10:15:  Grade 1
Dec 10, 8:45 - 10:15:  Kindergarten

Grade 2-5 MAP Tests -  September 3rd - 13th (repeat announcement)
Grades 2-5 will continue MAP testing during the week of September 9th. Students are assessed in Reading, Math, and Language. Grade 3, 4, and 5 will also be assessed in Science. This is a computerized adaptive test. As a student answers questions, the test responds to the student, adjusting up or down in difficulty. There is no preparation required for MAP testing. Results from the MAP tests are used by teachers to make instructional decisions for increased student growth and achievement. Please remind your child to charge their laptop or tablet each night. We recommend that students have adequate sleep and a good breakfast before they come to school for the MAP Test. Make up tests are available for students who miss tests due to absence.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Keryn Dowling, Dave Allen, and Calley Connelly
Elementary School Leadership Team